Escambia Animal Control seized pigs from In Loving Swineness Sanctuary

Escambia County Animal Control officers were summoned to Cantonment earlier this week to round up dozens of pigs.

By Thursday afternoon they'd captured about 80, according to John Robinson, the Animal Control Division director.

"It's a public safety issue I have to address in some sort of way," Robinson said. "We can't allow for them to cause an accident or hurt someone."

The pigs belong to Christal and Francis Ellard, who operate a nonprofit called In Loving Swineness Sanctuary.

Christal Ellard, who did not return a phone call seeking comment, had promoted the pigs as a way of ridding land of invasive cogongrass. Mary Tharp, who with her husband owns land next to that where the pigs were kept, estimated the total number of animals on the property at the time animal control officers arrived to be between 250 and 300.

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"I think Christal started out with good intentions, it just got overwhelming," said Tharp, who at one time allowed the Ellards to keep the swine on her 8 acres. "They've been at a loss on how to handle it but they didn't want to give up ownership."

Tharp said that at the time Animal Control and Code Enforcement officers arrived in Wednesday there were approximately 30 pigs that had escaped an enclosure and were wandering around on her land. This is a fairly regular occurrence, Tharp said.

Robinson said Animal Control and Code Enforcement have been dealing with the Ellard's pigs "for a significant amount of time."

The animals aren't necessarily aggressive, Robinson said, but the sheer number of them has created a problem. Many have not socialized themselves to humans, he said, "and they can be difficult."

Robinson said his office has been utilizing Livestock Office sources to place the pigs, but that the county did not have the capacity to accommodate all of the animals the Ellards own.

The In Loving Swineness Sanctuary had also been brought to the attention of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, which had visited the property where the pigs are kept in June, according to Robinson. A Pensacola News Journal public records request for action taken by the agency, made more than two weeks ago, has not received a response.

Robinson said his department will begin sorting through what follow up actions will be taken regarding the Ellards and their pigs after all of the animals to be picked up are collected and conversations are held with Code Enforcement and the Department of Agriculture.

He did not rule out charges being filed in the case.

The Ellards have already faced numerous charges related to their keeping of pigs.

In April of last year, while the pigs were still housed on Tharp's property, Francis Ellard paid just under $2,000 in fines after being charged with 15 animal control violations, court records showed.

The code enforcement citations issued to the Ellards included not only the unpermitted use of an RV but also unpermitted use of land or structures, creating nuisance conditions, allowing the property to become overgrown and failing to clean up trash and debris.

They were also cited for having pigs on property zoned Low Density Mixed Use. Farm animals are not permitted to be kept in that zoning category.

Patrick Larabee, the owner of the property where the pigs are now being housed is also facing code enforcement charges, according to Mary Tharp. He is scheduled to appear Tuesday before a special magistrate.